Visualizing Nature in Art explores how artists throughout history have made the invisible visible by observing nature in different ways. It compares three modes of observation: truth-to-nature, objective, and subjective. To make the vocabulary more age-appropriate, those terms have been renamed idealistic, realistic, and abstract. I chose this topic so that students could learn how to look closely at nature and interpret it in three ways through art. My goal is to motivate students to truly look at details of an object and then draw or paint it according to each style. To highlight these styles, students will observe images of art which exemplify idealism, realism, or abstraction, and then they will proceed to draw, paint, or create a collage of flowers, insects, leaves, and their own portrait in that manner. We will assess using rubrics and self-reflection. The lessons are connected to the National Core Art Standards and will be a vehicle to impress upon students the elements of art and the principles of design. By the end of the unit, I hope that students gain a deeper understanding of how observation contributes to the creative process.

(Developed for Art, grades 6-8; recommended for Art, grades 6-9)

This unit invites students to investigate how stories shape our understanding of the visible and the invisible, the ordinary and the monstrous. Using William Shakespeare's Macbeth as the main text, students explore the power and impact of the supernatural, while examining how cultural narratives of fear and power influence human decision-making. Through the unit's essential questions- "What role does belief in the supernatural play in human decision making?" "How do the stories we create and tell decide who is a ‘monster’ in society?" "Who is the real monster in Macbeth?" -students analyze complex relationships between ambition, fate, morality, and perception. Drawing on Surekha Davies's concept of "monster-making," students investigate how societies have historically used stories to exclude and dehumanize those perceived as different or “other”. Alongside Macbeth, students engage with historical, philosophical, and literary texts that challenge simplistic notions of good and evil, while encouraging them to question who has the power to label others as “monsters”. Students will explore how monsters reflect cultural values and fears and are less about “creatures” and more about boundaries and recurring societal and cultural patterns.

Through close reading, annotation, Socratic seminars, performance-based activities, and reflective writing, students develop evidence-based interpretations of the play and its larger social implications. Ultimately, the unit asks students to consider how stories not only entertain us but also shape our understanding of what it means to be human.

(Developed for English 2 and English 2H, grade 10; recommended for English, grades 10-11)

This curriculum unit is specifically designed for my seventh- and eighth-grade French students at Mauro-Sheridan, a magnet school with a strong focus on science and technology. Drawing on my extensive experience teaching diverse learners, ranging from K-4 immersion students to high schoolers preparing for French Regents, I have come to understand that effective instruction hinges on authentic engagement. My teaching philosophy, developed throughout my career, emphasizes creating a classroom environment that is both stimulating and responsive to each student’s unique needs.

In this unit, I am moving beyond traditional rote memorization to experiment with strategies that truly captivate my students. I believe that by grounding language acquisition in the physical world, I can help students "make visible the invisible." Having utilized audiovisual aids and technology throughout my career to bridge the gap between abstract grammar and real-world application, I have designed this unit to encourage students to interact with French through sensory-based experiences, connecting it to their everyday world through the five senses. I aim to provide my students with the confidence to communicate expressively, drawing upon the same passion for discovery that I have cultivated in my classroom over the past decade.

(Developed for French 1A, grade 7 and French 1B, grade 8; recommended for French, grades 5-8)

In this upper-level unit on epistemology for an introductory philosophy course, students will learn how the seemingly self-evident dichotomies between objectivity and subjectivity, fact and value, and truth and opinion are historically constructed, complex concepts whose meanings remain subjects of ongoing philosophical debate. While teachers may choose alternative readings, this unit proposes a sequence of five "Dialectical Checkpoints" in which students affirm a commonsense conception of objective fact only to problematize it through analyzing selected texts in guided discourse seminar with classmates. By the end of the unit, students will develop a presentation on how a nuanced understanding of “objectivity” impacts the meaning of what they are learning in one of their science classes. Students will be able to make an argument for the value of including some philosophy of science in a traditional high school science class, demonstrating the value of integrating humanities and STEM to serve the “Nature of Science” dimension of the NGSS science standards. The unit develops students’ humanistic skills of actively reading and analyzing complex texts, questioning their own assumptions, and engaging in self-reflective and text-driven inquiry with peers. Key Performance Task Prompt: What is objectivity? What impact might epistemology and the philosophy of science have on scientific study in high school?

Societies are always changed or altered when a new and revolutionary technology is introduced. Whether this be the steam engine, the telephone, the automobile, or the internet. With loses? This unit will explore the emergence of electrical science and how it transformed society. We will begin with the emergence of electrical science and experimentation during the Enlightenment and move through the 19th century with the introduction of the electrical grid. The use of electricity changed the lives of humans all over the globe. Many people embraced the changes brought on by electricity, while others pushed back against it. Some societies and individuals benefited greatly from this change, while other communities were dramatically altered or damaged permanently. These dramatic changes may draw many parallels to how society changed with the internet revolution of the 1990’s and early 2000’s or the current introduction of artificial intelligence into our daily lives. In this unit, students will be asked to learn about the history of electrical science and the electrical grid, and compare and contrast its impact on society with other technologies.

(Developed for Modern World History, grade 9; recommended for Modern World History, grade 9)

This unit is designed to complement a middle school Read 180 unit on contagions, but can be utilized by teachers of science, social studies, history, and English in a variety of grade levels and subjects. In the unit students are introduced to the invisible invaders, the contagions, which have haunted mankind over the past centuries. The unit begins by familiarizing students with much of the terminology needed to better understand contagions in general. Several contagions, including the plague, smallpox, and covid-19 are touched on in the unit as students are encouraged to explore the material through readings, journal writing, vocabulary exercises and other activities meant to help them better understand this complex topic. Finally, the unit concludes with a culminating activity in which students are asked to create a “Contagion Wax Museum”, a multi-disciplinary project that will allow the class to share their knowledge with the school community in a fun and creative way.

(Developed for Read 180, grade 8; recommended for Biology, Science, and Reading, grade 7)

This interdisciplinary unit seeks to uncover the historical construction of the societal value system that leads to eating disorders. Although eating disorders do originate as an individual response to their environment and genetics, this unit will focus on the socialization behind why body image becomes the addiction of choice. Students will compare primary sources from various time periods to explore to what extent historic narratives about efficiency and productivity continue or have changed. The final project takes an arts-informed approach to media literacy, where students will either create their own social media responses to self-optimization videos, reimagine the lenses through which we look at bodies, or create a fun house playing on these themes of distortions and efficiency. Topics include the transition of efficiency as a thermodynamics concept applied to machines to one that evaluates the character of a person, the invention of the calorie and the societal weight it accrued, the parallels between efficiency and eugenic narratives, and distortions inherent in the act of image-making. On a broader level, students are tasked to identify the messages they receive regarding how to evaluate themselves and others, to recalibrate those metrics, and ultimately to question the act of evaluation itself.

(Developed for Psychology, grades 11-12; recommended for Psychology, Economics, History, and Sociology, grades 11-12)

The Scientific Revolution is often the only way early modern history of science is presented in modern world history classes, and it is included in teaching units on revolutions. Yet, the distinctive features of the Scientific Revolution do not easily fit in with other social and political revolutions, and historians do not even agree that it was a revolution. The purpose of this unit is to present the epistemic changes in early modern history as a historical debate and to discuss how historians draw conclusions and advance arguments. Its aim is to promote further inquiry and critical thinking skills by considering a compelling question that does not have a clear answer: was the scientific revolution a revolution?

This unit will explore three compelling questions: what makes revolutions revolutionary? How did inquiry and inductive reasoning help scientists develop their understanding of the world and universe? And was the scientific revolution a revolution? This unit will explore these topics by looking at the way in which naturalists recorded their observations, the shift in thinking and reasoning, and major figures such as Francis Bacon and Galileo Galilei. Students will review historical evidence and communicate their conclusions as a thesis statement

(Developed for Modern World History, grade 9; recommended for Modern World History, grade 9)

(Developed for Biology/STEAM, grades 9-10; recommended for Biology/STEAM, grades 9-10)

This unit, Visualizing the Revolution: Scientific & Political Change at the Turn of the 19th Century, has been developed for Modern World History. Specifically, it serves as the second unit of the school year, which focuses on Revolutions and in which students study the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, and then choose one of the late 18th and early 19th century revolutions (French, Mexico, Haiti, Venezuela) to research. The final assessment is a historical fiction writing assignment where the students will make the realities of their chosen revolution visible to themselves and their peers by embodying someone living through that time period. Students will have previously learned about the effect of the Columbian Exchange on the indigenous populations of the American, European, and African continents.

This unit students will explore exemplary cases of the Scientific Revolution through four specific developments: microscopy; anatomy and dissection; naturalist drawings; astronomy; and the Enlightenment. When possible, the unit will also highlight examples of lesser-known contributors to these sciences in an intentional effort to illustrate the diversity and complexity of scientific advancement and to elevate historically ignored or deemphasized groups. The unit is planned for seven lessons, including the final writing assignment.

(Developed for Modern World History, grade 9; recommended for Modern World History, European History, and History of Science, grades 9-12)

This curriculum unit explores the complex process of identity formation for eighth-grade students navigating the "borderlands"—the challenging "in-between" space of balancing a heritage culture with mainstream American society. The unit addresses the emotional weight of code-switching, overcoming harmful stereotypes, and managing conflicting cultural values regarding family, communication, and independence. The goal of the unit is to move students from basic cultural awareness to deep personal reflection; the curriculum utilizes rich literary texts to anchor these concepts. Students analyze selections from Cristina Henriquez’s The Book of Unknown Americans. By engaging these narratives, students examine how language serves as a powerful yet exhausting tool for belonging, and how identity remains fluid rather than fixed. Ultimately, the unit aims to build an inclusive classroom community. By dismantling the fear of rejection and lowering students' affective filters, it provides a framework where bilingual, bicultural, and immigrant students can feel validated. The curriculum demonstrates that all cultures are equally valid, and that full assimilation is not required to achieve a sense of true belonging.

(Developed for ELA and Social Justice Literature, grades 7-8; recommended for ELA, grades 6-10, and Social Studies, grades 7-9)

In this unit, students work with Gary Soto’s Baseball in April to unpack the role media and Latine stereotypes play in the lives of the characters. In doing this work, students are required to examine gender roles and the media that surrounds not only the characters, but themselves. This unit requires students to do research on media of the 1980s and the present moment. As well, students will unpack gender stereotypes in advertising. Students will be analyzing media messages to determine the audience and the impact of stereotypes on Latine identity building. At the start and end of the unit, the students will research different media to determine how significant it is not only to the characters, but to themselves, in forming Latine identity

(Developed for Language Arts, grade 7; recommended for Language Arts, grades 7-8)

This unit explores Latine women’s representation in history, texts, and students’ voices. By exploring the texts Like Water for Chocolate the novel and series, the complicated condition of women during the Mexican Revolution is revealed. Like Water for Chocolate is a historical account of the Mexican Revolution through a female lens. Once the students analyze both the history and the novel, they will see how women’s voices and actions can be a powerful force in both the traditionally male realm of war and the traditionally female world of the home. Through recipes, the main character of Like Water for Chocolate, Tita, carries on her family history. What Tita is taught is carried down two more generations through a recipe book. Thus continuing her family’s matriarchal genealogy and history.

In the final project for this unit, each student will create their own “cookbook,” a Zine. Students will start with a piece of their own history to generate an idea or theme for their Zine. This handmade product will be a conduit for students to control their own narrative and share it as they see fit.

(Developed for English IV, grade 12; recommended for English Literature, Black and Latine Studies, grade 12)

This curriculum unit, designed by Eve Galanis, a Social Studies teacher, historian, and artist based in New Haven, Connecticut, explores the complex history of the Puerto Rican diaspora in the Northeast. This unit emphasizes challenging traditional notions of historiography, and encourages students to examine primary sources such as oral histories, music, performance, and poetry. Originally created for a Black and Latine Studies course, this curriculum unit has been intentionally designed to be broad enough to adapt for a variety of high school topic areas including, but not limited to, U.S. history, World history, ethnic studies, or language arts/English courses.

Shifting the narrative away from passive migration, this unit frames Boricua communities as active agents of historical memory and resistance. Across its design, the unit accomplishes multiple objectives for student understanding. Firstly, it moves students beyond traditional repositories, to consider how their community members are living archives. Students will explore both their own lived experience, as well as examples of working-class activism, and cultural expressions such as Bomba music, media, and visual art. Next, the unit grounds global and national migration patterns across Connecticut and New York, highlighting labor histories, community-building and political transformation in urban/suburban spaces. The unit explores how working-class organizations and grassroots organizers challenged state-sanctioned silences, colonial displacement, and systemic marginalization. Lastly, rather than solely relying on teacher-led instruction, it positions students as historical auditors through hands-on primary source analysis. This teaches students to identify archival silences and construct their own evidence-based counter-narratives.

(Developed for Black and Latine Studies, grades 11-12; recommended for Black and Latine Studies, U.S. History, World History, and Ethnic Studies, grades 9-12)

This unit focuses in exploring the cultural richness of Spanish-speaking communities across the Americas, while highlighting the cultural politics of language and the ways language reflects identity, history, and power. Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is the official language of over twenty countries and is widely spoken throughout the United States. For students learning Spanish, understanding the cultures connected to the language enhances motivation, communication skills, and global awareness.

Throughout this unit, students will explore Latine representation in media, music and visual arts. This unit will integrate vocabulary development, reading comprehension, listening activities, speaking practice, and cultural exploration. Students will use Spanish in meaningful ways, such as describing cultural values, traditions, and identities, asking questions about cultural practices, and presenting information about Spanish-speaking communities. Students will also learn about Latine communities in the United States and how language and culture shape identity. By examining cultural connections between Latin America and the United States, students will gain a deeper understanding of migration, bilingualism, and cultural exchange.

By exploring cultural celebrations, music, food, historical figures, and contemporary communities, students will gain a deeper appreciation for the Spanish-speaking world while developing their communication skills. Ultimately, this topic supports the broader goal of language education: helping students become curious, respectful, and informed global citizens.

(Developed for Spanish Level 1; recommended for Social Studies, grade 8)

This curriculum unit is designed for grade level 8 in English Language Arts. The unit’s theme reframes "home" as a heavily contested narrative space rather than as a static geographic location. The unit stages a critical dialogue between Cristina Henríquez’s novel The Book of Unknown Americans and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical film In the Heights. Students examine how historical media archetypes ("Greaser" and "Spitfire" tropes) flattened Latine identity to support exclusionary state policies, and how modern self-representation creates counter-archives that reclaim human dignity. Through analytical frameworks, such as the “Media Mirror” tool, perspective rewrites, and an examination of colorism, students analyze the politics of media representation and learn to defend their own narrative space. (Recommended for English Language Arts and Media Literacy, Grade 8)

(Developed for Spanish Language Arts and Social Studies, grade 8; recommended for ELA and Social Studies, grades 8-9)

In this third-grade curriculum unit teachers will be able to integrate culturally relevant pedagogical practice and critical literacy into their classroom. By avoiding what Paulo Freire described as the "banking model" of education, teachers can work collaboratively with students to build their knowledge on themes of cultural identity and representation. Students will use bilingual children’s literature that aligns with the New Haven Public School’s district-adopted literacy program and framework. The lessons are designed to build on the first module of the program and expand on the themes of language, history, and family.

Through the sequence of lessons teachers will utilize essential questions to guide students on their path towards exploring themes of cultural identity and representation. They will conduct interviews regarding their own names, illustrate the cultural diversity that exists within their local community, and examine the global connections that exist in their "backyards." The culminating project allows students to create an original book that celebrates these themes of cultural identity.

(Developed for Language Arts and Social Studies, grade 3; recommended for Language Arts and Social Studies, grade 3)

Non-conforming truth is the path Bad Bunny takes to bring into the light once again the irony of immigration, colonialism, fame and success, and American capitalism in general. In the face of fascism and terror, music and truth illuminate what it means to be in community. Storytelling, with its true art of connection, brings us together. Bad Bunny does not play with inequality, yet he illuminates disparities and unities between Puerto Rico, the Caribbean Islands, Central and South America and the United States, speaking truth to power while simultaneously teaching history, language and culture. His work is a template for success in its combination of truth and beauty. The 2026 Super Bowl Half Time Show captured the hearts of his fans around the world, a performance that showcased our nations’ roots in colonialism and slavery, while simultaneously celebrating the powerful, indomitably, ironically positive impact of Latine community on the U.S. nation-state. To study Latine political culture leads to profound reckoning with the legacy of immigration policy cruelty. Music instructs through beauty, alliteration and humor , bringing understanding --- offering a tether for connection. It is through connection, then speaking up that we become the culturally relevant guides are students need. Not freely given to us nor always intuitively obvious, we be prepared to practice conocimento ---learn in to learn from and about the students we teach. Education is a conversation, a series of choices and exercises that build mutual confidence. We emphasize community and understanding through quilts and through narratives to remember our family lineage. Latine culture is without doubt, the heart of the present and K-12 teacher presence.

(Developed for Creative Writing and English Language Arts, grades 10-12; recommended for Creative Writing and English, grades 9-12)

In this unit, Kindergarten students will learn about ecological communities within tropical forests. The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry anchors the initial learning. This children's picture book about rainforest conservation, published in 1990, tells the story of a man who is sent to chop down a giant kapok tree. The man falls asleep and is visited by a jaguar, monkey, toucan, and other creatures, including a child from the Yanomami tribe, who each explain how the tree is essential.

The ecology of the Amazon rainforest will be the vehicle to show the interconnectedness of how biodiversity sustains an ecosystem. Students will learn about the flora and fauna of the environment and the relationship they have with each other to survive and thrive. This four-week unit will have them working together on projects as they become young ecologists.

The unit addresses Kindergarten science and literacy standards, including developing observational skills, how plants and animals change the environment to meet their needs, and using models to represent plant and animal relationships. Students will compare temperate and tropical forest characteristics, go on walking trips, create a classroom diorama, and as a final project, tell the story The Great Kapok Tree in reader’s theater.

(Developed for Science and Literacy, Kindergarten; recommended for Science, grades K-2)

This curriculum unit “Sky’s Dual Citizens: Neotropical Migrant Birds in Connecticut,” helps fourth-grade students understand bird migration as a local and global ecological story. Using Neotropical migratory birds as a focus, the unit connects Connecticut’s forests, coastlines, and schoolyards to tropical habitats in Central and South America and the Caribbean. Students explore why birds matter, how migration works, and how internal and external structures—such as fat storage, wing shape, beaks, muscles, and respiratory systems—support survival during long-distance journeys. The unit also emphasizes how birds respond to environmental clues, including daylight, weather, food availability, stars, and Earth’s magnetic field. Through habitat comparisons, mapping, observation, technology tools, and hands-on models, students examine the idea that migratory birds are “dual citizens” dependent on multiple ecosystems. Designed for multicultural urban classrooms, the unit uses culturally responsive strategies, visual supports, the 5E model, and SIOP scaffolds to make science accessible. At the conclusion of the unit, students explore threats to migratory birds and solutions that they can put in place to protect birds locally and globally, connecting migration to conservation and showing how human actions in Connecticut and the tropics affect bird survival.

(Developed for Science and Language Arts, grade 4; recommended for Science, grade 4)

Oftentimes students have a difficult time understanding the relevance of the math they are learning and how it applies to the real world. Children are highly motivated when the learning content is relevant to them and of high interest. Most of my students come from Latin and Hispanic cultures and have a wide range of English language proficiency skills. By focusing on tropical rainforests, including those found in Latin America and the Caribbean, this unit connects their heritage and their concern for the environment while learning mathematical statistics at the sixth-grade level. As children learn more complex environmental lessons, they can draw from the deep connections that humans all have on impacting the viability of our planet. The goal for this thematic unit is for students to develop statistical thinking skills in math and to improve oral discussions using content language based on rainforests and on data collected in their research. The students will gain information learned through their interactive and cooperative group learning activities about rainforests and create a final project to showcase their knowledge of rainforest biodiversity. Students will explore and discover the unique characteristics of rainforests and develop a deep understanding of why biodiversity of this essential ecosystem plays a crucial role in our global environment.

(Developed for Math, grade 6; recommended for Math, grades 5-6, and Science, grades 4-6)

"Home Sweet Habitats: Secrets of the Tropical Forest" is a comprehensive second-grade curricular unit designed by Joanne Lopez Caraballo for urban students in New Haven. The unit aims to bridge the gap between students' local environments and global ecological systems by exploring the complex relationships within the tropical rainforest. It provides educators with extensive background knowledge on the biome's physical mechanics, vertical stratification, the "soil paradox," and sustainable conservation models.

Through eight structured lessons and a culminating "Tropical Forest Museum" project, students investigate flora and fauna adaptations, map energy flows in food chains, and analyze the local-global connection through the study of Neotropical migratory birds. By utilizing interactive read-alouds, cooperative research, and experiential project-based learning, the curriculum empowers young learners to move beyond cartoon representations of wildlife. Ultimately, the unit fosters environmental literacy, helping students recognize their interconnected role in global conservation and inspiring them to formulate practical action plans to address real-world challenges like deforestation.

(Developed for Science, grade 2; recommended for Science, grade 2)

This curricular unit is designed for high school AP Statistics teachers implementing the Revised 2026 AP Statistics Course Framework, particularly Units 1, 3, and 4. Intended to be integrated throughout an academic year rather than taught as a standalone unit, it uses forest ecology as a common throughline to connect sampling methods, experimental design, statistical inference, and scientific communication. Students investigate authentic ecological questions related to biodiversity, forest fragmentation, insect herbivory, and carbon storage while conducting field research at a nearby state park.

Students first compare simple random, stratified random, cluster random, and systematic sampling methods before practicing standardized ecological field techniques. They then collect original data on tree diameter, bird communities, and insect herbivory using protocols adapted from professional ecological research to assess carbon storage, biodiversity, and ecological interactions, respectively. As students progress through the AP Statistics curriculum, they analyze these data by constructing confidence intervals and performing one- and two-sample t-tests, one- and two-proportion z-tests, and chi-square tests while interpreting their findings within an ecological context. Throughout the unit, students consider the practical consequences of Type I and Type II errors for conservation decision-making. The unit culminates in an IMRaD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) research paper in which students synthesize multiple statistical analyses to communicate evidence-based conclusions about forest ecosystems.

(Developed for AP Statistics, grade 12; recommended for Statistics, grades 10-12)

This unit uses the Amazon and Congo Basin as parallel case studies to weave environmental science, human geography, and civics into a single, cumulative arc for my seventh grade Social Studies students. Students begin by building ecological literacy (forest structure, biodiversity, and ecosystem services) before examining the human geography of each region: indigenous land management, colonial history, migration, and whose voices are centered in conservation. The unit then turns to the pressures driving deforestation in each region and the science and community-led work of forest restoration, before asking students to trace their own daily choices to global supply chains. It closes with a student-driven civic action project, in which students design an evidence-based proposal (an advocacy campaign, policy pitch, or restoration recommendation).

Each lesson opens with a callback to the previous class, reinforcing continuity across my every-other-day schedule. The unit deliberately resists simple narratives, asking students to weigh competing perspectives (farmers, indigenous leaders, corporations, scientists, etc.) and ground their conclusions in evidence. The goal: students who leave understanding that forest health and human choice are inseparable, and who see themselves as capable of meaningful civic contribution.

(Developed for World Regional Studies II, grade 7)

"Voices from the Canopy" is a four-week, project-based curriculum unit designed for 7th and 8th-grade bilingual English Language Learners (ELLs). Developed by Liza Taracena Bowen, this interdisciplinary program integrates Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), English Language Arts, and design thinking to investigate the complex global impacts of palm oil production.

Moving beyond simplistic binaries, the unit guides students through a structured inquiry process: conducting home pantry audits, mapping forests as "living infrastructure," analyzing agricultural trade-offs, and creating sustainable packaging solutions. By framing deforestation as a design problem, the curriculum provides accessible, multi-modal entry points for bilingual learners, utilizing visual rhetoric and scaffolded instruction to bolster both scientific literacy and language acquisition.

The experience culminates in the Canopy Voices Symposium, where students showcase their argumentative essays and infographics, transitioning from consumer detectives to civic advocates. The unit emphasizes that true sustainability requires reforming production practices rather than simply boycotting commodities. Ultimately, "Voices from the Canopy" empowers middle-schoolers to connect their daily household choices to global ecological systems, demonstrating that informed bilingual voices can drive meaningful change and contribute to a more sustainable future.

(Developed for Language Arts and Bilingual, grades 7-8; recommended for Language Arts, grade 9; Science, grade 6; and Bilingual, grades 5-6)

This curriculum unit is about comparing and contrasting how different energy sources impact tropical rainforests. Students will learn about the differences between temperate and tropical rainforests, renewable and nonrenewable energy sources, and become well versed in one particular energy source. The unit is designed with fourth graders in mind, in which they will teach each other about their energy source, both the advantages and disadvantages of using it to generate electricity, with a heavy focus on the positive and negative impacts on tropical rainforests. The unit is meant to be implemented over a 2-3 week time frame with daily 45-minute class periods. The main objective is for students to be able to learn how to do research, find salient information, then rearrange the information in a way that sounds unique to their understandings to then present it to their peers. The final understanding students will come to upon completion of this unit is that, while electrical energy is something we all need, it comes with a lot of trade-offs. The problem is nuanced, and there is no one perfect answer or source of energy that currently exists that does not, in some way, negatively impact our environment and tropical rainforests.

(Developed for Science, grade 4; recommended for Science and ELA, grades 4-5)

"Exploring the Layers of the Tropical Rainforest" is a first-grade science unit that introduces students to the four distinct layers of the tropical rainforest: the forest floor, understory, canopy, and emergent layer. Through hands-on investigations, rich informational and narrative texts, collaborative inquiry, and integrated literacy experiences, students explore how plants and animals have developed unique adaptations to survive within each layer. The unit emphasizes scientific observation, questioning, and evidence-based thinking while building an understanding of biodiversity, ecosystems, nutrient cycling, and the interdependence of living organisms. Students engage in authentic learning experiences such as decomposition investigations, rainforest murals, engineering challenges, and the creation of a classroom rainforest terrarium that serves as a living model of the ecosystem. Lessons are aligned with the Connecticut Science Standards and integrate reading, writing, speaking, and art to support interdisciplinary learning. Throughout the unit, students develop a deeper appreciation for the complexity and importance of tropical rainforests while recognizing humanity's responsibility to protect these globally significant ecosystems. By combining scientific research with developmentally appropriate, inquiry-based instruction, this curriculum fosters curiosity, environmental stewardship, and critical thinking, helping young learners understand that every organism plays an important role in maintaining the health and balance of the rainforest ecosystem.

(Developed for the First-Grade classroom; recommended for Science, grade 1)

This curriculum unit is designed to engage seventh-grade learners in the five themes of geography. The Five Themes of Geography are Movement, Human Environment and Interaction, Region, Location, and Place. Using Panama as a model, students will learn map skills such as using different kinds of maps and how to find the exact location of a place using latitude and longitude and how that location relates to other places geographically. Students will cite evidence using multiple texts about the seven indigenous groups in the tropical forests of Panama and how they interact with the environment. Students will also engage with content to illustrate the movement of ideas, people and goods using the Panama Canal as an example. Finally, students will present a culminating project of choice, highlighting their opinion about "Is progress more important than preservation?" using research gained through the unit.

Panama is an ideal model for teaching the Five Themes of Geography because its unique isthmus shape, location, species rich tropical forest, land modifications made due to the construction of the Panama Canal, and the migration of people to the area. This will be an exciting unit for students to gain understanding and master grade level skills.

(Developed for Social Studies and World History, grade 7; recommended for Social Studies, grades 6-7; and Map Skills and World History; grade 6)

This unit is a 4th grade social studies unit connecting several of the Connecticut State social studies standards. The focus of fourth grade social studies is the subject of United States Geography guided by the study of human-environment interaction. The state course questions listed in the Connecticut Elementary and Secondary Social Studies Standards for 4th grade include; "How do people depend on and shape their environment?", and "What influences the movement of people, goods, and ideas in the United States?"¹. Students will be studying these questions as they relate specifically to rivers and watersheds and connect them to human dependence upon water as a natural resource as well as how people impact and change their environment as it relates to water. My hope for students and teachers of this curriculum is to find a connection between natural resources and human action and ultimately how this forms the physical maps we study. Additionally, I hope these lessons provide students with a fundamental understanding of how the environment and people interact in a dynamic way which can lead to complex relationships between people and the places we live and are tasked with stewarding.

(Developed for Social Studies, grade 4; recommended for Social Studies, grade 4)

(Developed for Biology, grades 9-10, and Integrated Science, grade 9; recommended for Science, grades 7-8)

This unit asks students to investigate water as a chemically active substance rather than a simple, familiar liquid. Beginning with common claims such as "clear water is clean water" and "bottled water is safer than tap water," students use evidence to examine what is in water, where it comes from, and how we can know. The unit connects molecular chemistry to local Earth systems by exploring water’s polarity, hydrogen bonding, dissolution, electrolytes, pH, conductivity, concentration, salinity, hardness, and dissolved ions. Students test clear water samples, model how substances dissolve, and analyze the South-Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority’s water quality report to understand how drinking water is measured, treated, regulated, and communicated to the public. The unit then expands from drinking water to natural water systems, including groundwater, watersheds, road salt runoff, coastal Connecticut, and Long Island Sound. Students consider how water chemistry changes as water moves through land, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Later lessons connect chemical changes to living systems, environmental tradeoffs, and public claims about water. The culminating task asks students to evaluate a water-related claim using data, particle models, source evidence, and careful scientific language. The goal is to move students from assumption to evidence-based understanding of water.

(Developed for Chemistry, Grade 11; recommended for Earth Science, grade 9)

This River Science unit integrates the disciplinary core ideas and science and engineering practices of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) with Montessori principles of inquiry, independence, and place-based education. Students investigate the ecology of freshwater ecosystems through the lens of New Haven's rivers and watersheds, developing an understanding of how topography, the water cycle, and watershed formation shape river systems. The unit emphasizes the relationships among biotic and abiotic factors, biodiversity, ecosystem stability, and the impacts of natural processes and human activities on water quality. Students engage in authentic scientific practices by making observations, identifying scientific questions, conducting preliminary research, collecting and analyzing data, and communicating evidence-based conclusions. Learning experiences include laboratory investigations, watershed modeling, engineering design challenges, scientific journaling, and field-based observations that connect classroom learning to the local environment. Consistent with Montessori pedagogy, students assume increasing responsibility for their learning through collaborative inquiry, self-reflection, and meaningful engagement with their community. The final performance assessment asks students to investigate a local river issue, synthesize scientific research, develop a testable hypothesis, and justify an evidence-based investigation. By connecting scientific inquiry with environmental stewardship, the unit empowers students to view themselves as capable scientists and active citizens who can contribute to the health and sustainability of their local ecosystems.

(Developed for General Science, grades 7-8; recommended for General Science)

Beavers are keystone species. A keystone in an architectural arch is the central support on which all other elements rely. Did you know beavers’ teeth are orange because they have iron in them? Last spring I wrote a unit on blacksmiths and how human engineering using iron has impacted our artistic production. We live in a complex and dynamic environment and can learn how charismatic species such as beavers interact with the environment we share. This can be visualized with maps and model making using an engineer’s mindset. Local American art history from the artist colony of Old Lyme and the complex landscape of our environment inspired by the Everlasting Project the Sound School are incorporated into the introduction of this unit. In this three-week visual arts unit 6th grade students will create artworks inspired by the impact of beavers on Connecticut rivers. Students will create models of dams using mixed materials and test them with water showing how waterflow is affected in a watershed. Students will test using food dye with and without dams to visualize the pollution mitigation impacts of beaver dams. Students will use the skills of collaboration, design and problem solving to create interactive models of a Connecticut waterway with beaver activity that has coexisted with human recreational use.

(Developed for Visual Arts, grade 6; recommended for Visual Arts, grades 6-8)

This unit exposes students to some key concepts related to geophysics of inland waters: hydrologic cycle, water storage and movement, inland water ecosystems, water balance. The geophysics of rivers and streams involves applying physics principles to study how water, sediment, and the Earth's subsurface interact.

Students will explore and study the fundamental physics of flow and discover that the behavior of a river is driven by the conversion of gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy, use the principle of conservation of mass to calculate a watershed water budget and learn about the geophysical processes of erosion and sediment transport.

Students will be introduced to new concepts like generation of a streamflow, lifecycle of a river, scaling laws of hydraulic geometry and core geophysical methods - sophisticated tools employed by scientists and engineers to investigate the subsurface structure and composition of our planet without the use of destructive excavation. Students will also learn how to measure a river's speed and calculate discharge - the total volume of water flowing past a point.

Each lesson will be accompanied by a lesson plan. Depending on lesson, there will be examples, problems and applications on computer simulated software that need to be solved by students using concepts presented in the respective lesson.

The unit is intended to be taught in 10th or 11th grade Physical and Environmental Science classes, but it can be used also by middle school 7th and 8th grade Science teachers to expose students to basic physics concepts of velocity, potential and kinetic energy, geology, physical properties of water and states of matter.

The unit will last approximately three weeks.

(Developed for Engineering, grade 8; Physical Science, grade 10; and Environmental Science, grade 11; recommended for General Science, grades 7-8; Physical Science, grade 10; and Environmental Science, grade 11)

Invisible veins are connecting us all in hidden ways, my S.T.E.A.M. curriculum unit seminar asks students to consider invisible ways microplastics impact the water, the air, the animals, and the overall environment. This unit of study is centered around the metaphor of rivers as the planet's veins, yet there are other veins in the planet and this unit challenges students to uncover unseen environmental threats particularly plastic pollution and microplastics that travel through hidden veins of the planet maybe microplastics are in waterways connecting ecosystems to create a domino effect across the globe. Besides being inspired by Professor Peter Raymond the 1992 book "friendly floatees" spill (28,800 rubber ducks that drifted across oceans) as well as footage of Midway Island albatrosses dying from ingested plastic, are the hooks used to get students inspired to explore ecological interconnectedness, cultural attitudes toward water, and the concept of biomimicry. This unit of study is designed primarily for 11th–12th grade Art Foundations students at The Sound School in New Haven, CT (with adaptable versions for PreK–12), the unit spans seven 60-minute lessons. Students self-select an environmental research direction, study eco-artists and then create individual artworks, as well as present a 3 to 5 minute Google Slides presentation. Emphasis is placed on independent research, design thinking, public speaking, active listening, and personal reflection on micro plastics as an issue in the environment. Students create an artwork that depicts the topic selected.

(Developed for S.T.E.A.M. and Art foundations; recommended for Arts, Science, and S.T.E.A.M., grades K-12)